Year — Old man from Odzi area of Marange, about 41 kilometres West of Mutare in Manicaland Province, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping his 14-year-old step-niece.

The Mutare magistrate court convicted the man on two counts of rape and incest.

According to court records, the man took advantage of the absence of the victim's mother from home sometime in June 2024.

He called her to his room, where he raped her once and instructed her not to reveal the incident to anyone. Two weeks later, the man called the girl to his house again, where he detained her overnight and raped her again.

When the girl's mother returned and did not find her home, she looked for her and later found her hiding under the man's bed.

On being interrogated, the girl confided in her mother, leading to a police report and the man's arrest. - New Ziana.